Fire departement

General information

The Fire Protection management of the Town of Gaspé is composed of a director that must be a firefighter, Mr. Luc Lebreux (temporarily assigned), and of a chief south district officer, Mr. Carl Sinnett, seven fire station chiefs and a hundred part-time firefighters. There is also a team of rescuers that proceeds to forest search and rescue.

Responsibilities of the Fire Protection Management

The main responsibilities of the Fire Protection management are: fighting fires and rescuing people during these events.

The department can also be responsible, with other concerned departments, of managing disasters, rescuing victims of accidents and disasters and of their emergency evacuation.

In the framework of their duties, members of the management participate to the evaluation of fire, accident or disaster risks, the prevention of these events, the relief efforts and the search for the origin, probable causes and circumstances of a fire.

The criteria to become a firefighter are the following:

1. be eighteen (18) years old or older and have completed secondary III education;2. having passed the competency examination that may be required by the town;3. be medically fit to become a member of the management and having passed the medical examination or other types of exams required by the director according to the list of tests submitted annually to the council;4. having no link to a criminal record;5. having a certificate of good conduct issued by the Sûreté du Québec;6. living in a sector of the municipality covered by the fire station where he or she wishes to integrate; 7. having or getting a driver license within twelve (12) months following his or her appointment to drive any intervention vehicle of the management for firefighters authorized to drive intervention vehicles;8. having passed the theoretical and practical competency exams and interviews, if applicable;9. The candidate must commit to attend the Firefighter 1 class within the timeframe mandated under the act to be able to intervene in firefighting situations.

Reservist Firefighter

The candidate interested in starting his or her education and training to become a firefighter can start by becoming a reservist firefighter. The individual must be 16 years old or older.

He or she can start training with the team in place. However, he or she will not be able to respond to an accident or a fire.

What rescues are done by the firefighters or of the Town of Gaspé?

Rescues on the entire territory of the Town of Gaspé (for example: water bodies, traffic accident requiring jaws of life, intervention with dangerous substances, bomb threat, suicides, violence, intervention in an enclosed space, disasters, emergency situations, search in forest for missing people, etc.).

Please note that rescue activities are done on a voluntary basis by the firefighters of the Town of Gaspé.

Smoke detector and fire extinguisher

A smoke detector in good working order can make the difference between life and death. For your protection, smoke detectors are mandatory on the territory of the Town of Gaspé and municipal rules are governing their installation. It is important to regularly check the batteries of your smoke detectors if these are not permanently connected to an electric circuit.

For more information on this subject, please contact your nearest fire station.

If you are thinking about getting a fire extinguisher, make sure it carries an ABC label. This means it contains a multipurpose dry chemical suitable for most fires: those caused by wood, paper and fabric (A), those caused by flammable liquids (B) and those caused by electric appliances (C).

Pyrotechnics and fire in open air

The use of certain pyrotechnics can be done without a permit provided that they are fired on a private land. On a public land, such as a street or park, you will need to obtain the authorization of the Fire Protection management. These products, which can be bought on the market without any job-specific skills, are marked with an inscription putting them in the 7.2.1 category. The federal department of Natural Resources had however adopted minimum safety rules for their usage. This way, their launching place must measure at least 30 m² and be completely clear, i.e. free of any trees, buildings, electric posts or obstructions. You should never launch pyrotechnics in high winds. For more information on this subject, please contact your nearest fire station.

Before lighting an open-air fire, even though it is only a branch fire, please call the Fire Protection management to obtain the required permit. An outdoor fireplace must never be installed within 3 m of a building or any fuel material. Moreover, its chimney and hearth must be equipped with a spark arrester.

For more information on this subject, you can also contact your nearest fire station.

Evacuation plan

The preparation of an evacuation plan is an important step to prevent panic in case of a fire. Regularly perform emergency evacuation drills with your family. Also make sure that all understand the importance of immediately exit the house when the smoke detector is triggered or when somebody is yelling "Fire."

Chimney cleaners

If your heating system, whether it is a main or back-up system, is equipped with a chimney, you are invited to have it cleaned at least once a year and to regularly clean the pipes due to creosote build-up which is responsible for several fires. For more information on this subject, please contact your nearest fire station. To find a list of chimney cleaners, see the Yellow Pages.

Fire drills

A fire is anything but funny but fire drills can be. Plan two ways of exiting your home and perform exit drills.Each year, thousands of fires are caused by the imprudent use of electric appliances in the kitchen. Never let food or cooking oil on the stove without supervision.Each year in Canada, almost 1,300 fires are caused by children playing with matches or lighters. Matches and lighters must be kept out of reach and sight of children.The alarm of a smoke detector alerts you that you need to leave. By preparing an evacuation plan that you regularly put into practice, you will be able to react appropriately in case of fire.